TOURISM
SPORTING NEWS
City scores big with the opening of
the Florida Sports Hall of Fame
When its lease was up in Davenport, the Florida
Sports Hall of Fame scrambled to find a new
home for its memorabilia. The goal was to find
somewhere that was easily accessible to Floridians
while also being able to house its 269 members and its
mementos and sports artifacts.
“I knew right away that the MIDFLORIDA Event Center
would be a perfect spot to house our hall,” said Rick Hatcher,
vice president and president-elect. “Not only is Port St. Lucie
a great city, but we now have a great opportunity to use the
wonderful space at the MIDFLORIDA Event Center.”
Between notification of the lease ending, venue research
and finalizing contracts, the entire move was done in about
90 days. The hall of fame’s leadership team worked diligently
to make sure there was minimal closure time. While there
are still many items in storage, the team was able to set up
a fairly robust display. They will continue to sort through
memorabilia and add displays throughout the year.
“Right now, we have this new opportunity to look at
Florida’s rich sports history,” Hatcher said. “Our state has a
lot of homegrown athletes that end up playing professional
sports all over the U.S. and world.”
The Florida Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1961 by the
Florida Sports Writers Association and the Florida Sportscasters
Association before there was an actual building to call home.
It first opened in 1977 at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven.
In 1990, it moved north to Lake City and then after a few
years, it moved because board members decided that Central >>
16 Port St. Lucie Magazine
ANTHONY INSWASTY PHOTOS
BY RACHEL INSWASTY
The Florida Sports Hall
of Fame has found a
new home in the MIDFLORIDA
Credit Union
Event Center where
visitors can view its
many displays that include
trophies, jerseys,
balls and a multitude
of photographs.